


House Party

by ByronBlack



Series: The Lost Coast [2]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Beer, Betrayal, Drinking, Drug Use, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone Is Gay, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Gay, Gay Male Character, Gen, House Party, Lies, M/M, Marijuana, Other, Party, Partying, Recreational Drug Use, Secret Relationship, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 03:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11050767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByronBlack/pseuds/ByronBlack
Summary: Joel takes Craig on their offer to attend a house party at the Cody's place. But upon arrival he discovers an ugly truth about Daren!





	House Party

Joel arrived fashionably late to the party. By then it was in full swing. The cody house was filled with people gathered around the pool. All of them were partying but none harder than Craig. Who at the moment Joel arrived was in the pool wrestling two girls in bikinis. He looked around for Daren but couldn’t find him.

 

As he made his way across the floor it suddenly became clear through the narcotics and the guns and piles of money lying around the Cody’s house that these people we’re clearly into some pretty illegal activities.

 

Joel walked into the kitchen to find an older woman with blond hair making sandwiches. He tapped lightly on the glass of the screen door to announce his presence.

 

“Hi, sorry to bother you. I’m looking for Daren?”

 

“Are you a friend of his?” She asked. Seeming to be all sweetness and honeysuckle.

 

“Sort of. My name’s Joel Elliott. Darren’s been teaching me how to surf.” Joel said introducing himself. He shook her hand. “You must be Mrs. Cody!”

 

“Miss Cody, but yes I’m Darren's mother! I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” She answered politely before she went back to making sandwiches.

 

“Well I’d love to be useful. Would you like some help?” Joel said offering to help her in the kitchen. She paused, looking him over for a moment.

 

“Grab a knife and start chopping vegetables!” She ordered. Joel did as she said. He grabbed a big knife and began to cut up a bunch of vegetables into a beautiful and decorative platter. “And enough of this Miss Cody shit. Call me Smerf! Everybody else round here dose!”

 

Joel finished chopping vegetables and help carry the food outside. Through the corner of his eye he saw Daren making out with some asian girl. He couldn’t believe it. He thought Daren wanted him to come here as his date. How could he betray him like this?

 

Darren looked up and saw Joel standing by the buffet table. His eyes widened in horror as he stared daggers at him. Daren feared Joel would make a scene and out him to everyone. But he didn’t! He didn’t say anything. He just looked at Darren and then calmly walked away. Already he could feel that white hot feeling behind his eyes as he walked back into the house, and locked himself in the bathroom.

 

Once there. Safe. Away from prying eyes. Joel finally allowed himself to cry. He cried but he didn’t make a sound. He let himself get upset for a moment and only that. Then he wiped his tears away and made himself look decent before he went back to the party.  Joel tried not to let his face betray him, but Smurf saw the red under his eyes, and the look of distress on his face. “You okay sweetie?”

 

“Oh yes. I just need a drink!” Joel said. He looked outside to see Daren and Craig standing by the keg. Craig was playing bartender and talking to Daren about something. Joel still so angry at Daren for lying to him stormed across the floor and walked right up to Craig! “Hi Craig, mind pouring me a tall one please?”

 

“Sure dude!” Craig poured him a drink. Daren sat there looking nervous as all hell. Even more so because Joel hadn't acknowledged him yet!

 

“Hey Joel!”

 

“Oh hey Daren! I guess I didn’t see you there!” His words felt like someone rubbing salt into a wound! Joel took the beer craig poured him and stole the joint Daren was smoking right from his mouth. He took a drag blowing the smoke back in Daren’s face! “Thanks boys! See you around Daren!”

 

With that said, Joel took his leave of the conversation. He planned on having a good time. Maybe even flirting with someone else to make Daren jealous. After he smoked that joint, he got the munchies. He walked over to the buffet planning on eating his feelings.

 

That’s when his hand brushed against someone else's. He looked up to see the most handsome man he had ever seen. He looked like an old movie star, with his paul newman eyes and kirk douglas chin. He didn’t think men like that existed anymore. Least not outside TCM.

 

“Sorry!” Said Baz. He smiled that charming smile of his and his eyes crinkled at the sides; Suddenly Joel lit up inside like neon.

 

“Yea, no problem!” Joel replied.

 

Baz finished making his plate then walked back over to the other side of the pool for Catherine and his daughter. Upon the realization that Baz was married. Joel was reminded of a line from an alenssmorisett song which perfectly described how he felt in that moment, “It’s like meeting the man of my dreams, and then. Meeting his beautiful wife!”

 

As the evening wore on Joel smoked, he drank, he didn’t do any of the harder drugs. But he took anything that could numb his pain. He wished he didn’t care about Daren. But he did. He knew what it was like being trapped in a closet. Both literally and metaphorically.

 

As the party wind down and the sun set over the cody place. Joel sat by the pool with his legs submerged in the water. He had spent most of his free time watching Baz from afar. Eventually when their eyes met again, Baz was not disgusted by Joel’s desire. But intrigued!

 

Joel could tell from the way Baz looked at him with those bedroom eyes of his!

 

He grabbed a half finished joint that someone had left it the ashtray. He lit it and took a deep drag. Holding it for a moment before he let out a thick cloud of smoke.

 

Daren was amazed at how he could smoke marijuana like it was a cigarette. Daren walked over to where he stood. “Mind if I sit?”

 

“It’s a free country.” Joel replied. Daren sat down beside him.

 

“You know, I don’t know weather I want to offer you a drag of this, or put it out in his eye!”  Joel told him. He paused for a moment and chose to do the former. He offered him a drag and Daren accepted.

 

“Are we cool?”

 

“We will be, as soon as you apologize!” Joel told him.

 

Darren took another drag, and then said. “I’m sorry…”

 

“I met your mom. She seems nice!”

 

Daren let out a light chuckle. “The keyword in that sentence is, seems!”

 

It was at that moment Smerf reappeared. “Okay everybody party's over. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here

 

“Joel would you mind staying and help clean up!”

 

“Actually ma Joel has to get going!”

 

“I’d love to Smerf!” Joel shouted. He collected his things and whispered viciously into Daren’s ear! “Don’t ever speak for me again!”  

 

Joel did his best to help clean up the kitchen. He finished placing the leftovers in the tupperware. He piled them into two neat little stacks and placed them in the fridge. As he closed the door he was startled by Pope who was standing on the other side.

 

“Oh goodness. You scared me!” Joel replied.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“I’m Joel. I’m a friend of Daren’s.” He said extending out his hand, but Pope's body was stiff like a cigar store indian, and his face was stoic and hard to read. Pope said nothing for a moment. He looked at the strange young man who was standing in his kitchen with curious eyes. He was worried that he would be afraid of him. The way that everybody else feared him. But he didn’t seem to be afraid, of him at least....

 

“Everything okay?” Smurf said as she reappeared. She saw the strange way Pope was looking at Joel. She turned to Joel to study his reaction.

 

“Yea, everythings fine. I was just introducing myself to… You know what gosh I didn’t catch your name!”

 

Pope said nothing, and stormed off back to his bedroom.

 

“You’ll have to forgive Pope.” Smurf told him. “He just got out of prison!”

 

“Oh. Say no more!” Joel said. Obviously time in the big house had hardened him. He had seen that look before. On soldiers who suffered ptsd coming back from war. And he had seen OZ and other tv shows to know what kind of horror and violence happens to people in places like that.

 

He finished cleaning up and took the garbage out to the curb with Daren. “We need to talk!”

 

“Alright then, let's talk!”

 

“I really fucking like you!” Daren confessed.

 

“I know. But you don’t act like you do. That’s the problem! You invite me to this party, and yet when I show up you're making out with some girl in a bikini.”

 

“Well not all of us are as brave as you!” Daren said.

 

“Daren don’t you think I understand? I was like you once. Afraid to let the world see who I really was. But then one day, I got tired of pretending. You will too. But until then I think we should just be friends.”

 

Joel gave Daren a kiss on the cheek and went back home to his bus..


End file.
